Pillow Talk
by Abicion
Summary: I have used sex to fix Gundam SEED Destiny's plot.
1. Chapter 1

Athrun rested his head against his pillows with a deep sigh. Meer lay to his side with her bare body pressed against his. A thin layer of sheets encased the couple. They had just finished their latest copulation, which had become an almost daily occurrence after much urging from Meer. Athrun initially found the beautiful songstress's advances to be most awkward, but he had worn down under her persistence and eventually decided there was nothing wrong with having a single devoted woman take his worries away after each day. If anything, it aided his confidence and gave him an additional edge on the battlefield. This time was different, however.

Meer was currently keeping herself occupied by tracing tiny circles on Athrun's chest with her index finger. She playfully nuzzled one of her slender shoulders in the crook of his arm before she noticed there was something worrying in his expression. Her eyes gazed into his before she quietly spoke.

"Mmm... Athrun?"

Athrun wandered out of his clouded thoughts and into Meer's gaze. Her eyes were small blue ponds looking toward him with curious interest. Months of plastic surgery had given her a complexion and a head of long pink hair that made her an almost perfect replica of the girl who had once been arranged to marry him: the famous musician, diplomat, and political heir Lacus Clyne. Even her voice was a tonal match, despite how she normally spoke in a more carefree manner than Lacus. The only obvious difference, barring having a polar opposite personality, was Meer was much more curvaceous in form, and she was never shy in incorporating her natural attributes into her concerts.

When Athrun used to look into Lacus's eyes, he never doubted her bubbly public persona was a facade for something deeper. There was always some ulterior motive hiding in the back of her head. Some may even describe what he found in her stare as being cold and conniving. When he looked into Meer's eyes, however, he saw a much simpler girl who never hid her intentions (most likely because she lacked to cunning to do so) and a held genuine interest in being humanity's cheerleader.

And, sometimes, simplicity was all a man needed.

Athrun continued to offer Meer his attention as he replied.

"Yeah?"

"Are you still worried about having to fight your friends?"

He nearly winced at his lover's question, as she had struck his darkest thoughts with perfect accuracy. She always had a way of deducing what was bothering him, as if she shared some unseen connection with his soul. He responded to the inquiry with the simplest battle assessment he could think of.

"Saviour is technically a more powerful machine than Freedom, but power doesn't mean anything if the pilot doesn't have the will to use it."

Meer's mood soon changed to a pouting one as she considered Athrun's words. The tone of her response floated somewhere between impatience and encouragement.

"You're still on the fence over that Kira guy. You're the one who said he's the reason Heine got killed, so how much longer are you going to wait until you say he's gone too far?"

One of Athrun's hands clenched into an angered fist as he peered to the side, searching for a reason for his own hesitation.

"It's not that simple. He..."

He struggled to finish his statement, uncertain of how Meer would take it.

"He has a reason to believe Durandal tried to have Lacus offed."

The young woman blinked in thought as she continued her investigation.

"And what reason would that be?"

Athrun paused again, but his resilience faded as he melted in Meer's arms.

"The assassins were using ZAFT Mobile Suits."

All of this information was new to Meer, but she reacted with only slight surprise. Instead, most of her effort was concentrated in casually shrugging and making a short rebuttal.

"So does he."

Athrun was astonished by the swiftness of the girl's response. He looked down toward the top of her head before speaking in uncertainty.

"Meer?"

She calmly explained her rationale as her hand left the invisible circle on Athrun's chest and began massaging his cheek.

"Everyone in this horrible war uses ZAFT technology to some extent. The only difference is whether they were given it or stole it. What makes Kira think he's so special that he has to be the center of some big conspiracy?"

Her voice lowered in voluntary defeat.

"Besides, for argument's sake, let's say he's right. Let's say Gilbert is an awful person and is just using all of us. There's still a difference between fighting for the girl you love..."

She stopped to reposition her head against Athrun's side and purr briefly, then continued.

"... and randomly attacking both sides like some wacko and just making a bigger mess of things. He even makes my job harder when he frightens the colonists."

Her nose curled in disgust during the last part of her statement, and Athrun couldn't help but find the tiny gesture to be cute. However, he quickly brought himself back to grim reality and alerted her of the facts.

"But Gilbert IS using you, Meer. He knows how much you idolize Lacus, and he uses that to get you to pose as her."

The singer giggled softly before making an unexpected reply.

"Not any more."

Athrun gasped slightly, but Meer cheerfully continued.

"Once I realized you liked me for who I am, I stopped trying to be her. Now I just do it for the sake of the people, because they need a Lacus to rally them."

She sighed in relief before speaking again.

"It's a good thing, too. I probably would have driven myself crazy if I had kept telling myself I was her."

Athrun was now staring straight toward the ceiling of his quarters in wide-eyed confusion. He stumbled through his next question.

"But... he still put you up to all of this, didn't he?"

He could feel a curtain of pink silk brush against him as his mate shook her head and replied.

"No. I don't think he planned on us actually falling in love."

Meer then lowered her voice into a faux masculine tone, undoubtedly mimicking words the ZAFT Chairman had once said to her.

"Do with Zala as you will. I don't mind our separate ideologies as long as they reach the same goal."

As Athrun considered this revelation, he positioned one of his hands between the back of his head and the pillow underneath him to scratch his scalp. After a few moments of thought, he moved to his next question.

"Then... don't you feel bad for lying to everyone?"

Meer lifted her head to show she was smiling.

"A little, but it's only to help them. It's not like the real Lacus has any interest in them."

Athrun was taken by the bluntness of her words, causing him to weakly object.

"That's not true..."

Meer frowned slightly before she began poking into his thoughts again.

"Really, Athrun? From the way you've described things, it sounds like she abandoned everyone at the end of the last war just so she could hang out on some beach with her boyfriend."

She offered him a reassuring smile.

"And I know you're better than that. You spent all that time trying to act as a peacekeeper between Orb and ZAFT. Her disappearing act ended up working against you."

Athrun glanced away from Meer for a few seconds, searching for a response just as he had for her criticism of Kira. Finally, he replied with a bit more strength in his voice.

"She didn't know things would come to this."

"So? If she's some great leader or whatever, then she should have had the patience to wait and see if ZAFT needed her help. Instead, she ran off to make herself happy while Gilbert picked up the slack."

Meer's response caused Athrun to lose the rest of his momentum, and he now clearly struggled with second thoughts. A happy smirk crossed Meer's lips when she quietly claimed her victory in the debate.

"I may not be as smart as her, but I can still tell when someone's being incredibly shortsighted."

Athrun responded by exhaling in his loudest sigh yet. He mumbled as his eyes returned to the ceiling and his mind fought with itself.

"None of this is helping me decide what to do about Kira."

He could feel Meer curling further into him after he made his complaint. He found himself nearly frozen when he shifted his eyes toward her and met her hopeful, serene gaze. Her next words softly pressed him into action.

"If he shows up tomorrow, get him for me, okay?"

It was impossible for him to say 'No,' especially to something so precious. Instead, he tried to skirt around the issue after a moment of troubled thought.

"I wish you didn't put me in this position."

Meer closed her eyes and answered with another giggle.

"But I didn't. You put yourself here when you started questioning which side you should fight for."

She moved her head so she could whisper into his ear.

"I'm just trying to help you make the right choice."

Athrun's spiraling thoughts were gradually settling thanks to Meer's assistance. After a few more seconds of doubt, he moved his arms to protectively envelop his love. For the first time in a great while, a confident grin appeared on his face.

"All right, Meer. I'll take him down if I have to."

The couple turned their heads in unison so they could meet in a passionate kiss. When they separated, they closed their eyes together and spent the night in peaceful sleep.

* * *

><p>Several hours later, Saviour Gundam and Freedom Gundam were engaged in bitter combat over the open ocean. Athrun heard Kira's voice screaming at him over static as the sparks of beam sabers colliding off each other flew across his cockpit screen.<p>

"Why aren't you listening to me, Athrun? Cagalli is crying!"

He snarled at the ridiculous excuse Kira used for his continued antics, then shouted into his own communication system with even more resolve.

"So is Meer!"

The ferocity in Athrun's response seemed to take Kira by surprise, if only for a second. The tiny window Freedom Gundam created in its brief display of wavering strength, however, was enough to seal its fate. With a single swing, Saviour Gundam cleaved the cockpit hatch of the rival mecha and vertically sliced the entire unit in half. Freedom Gundam instantly exploded into a ring of debris that plunged into the seawater below. All that remained of Kira was a charred corpse trapped inside a waterlogged chunk of molten metal.


	2. Chapter 2

Lacus had to act fast. Her time in the command chamber of the ZAFT compound she had entered was limited. She had carefully timed her intrusion to coincide with a certain ZAFT figurehead's escort through the base, a brief moment when security would be thin in all but one part of the structure. Everything was at stake, but this was practically a last ditch effort for her. She had to see what the ZAFT Chairman kept in his databanks at any cost. She needed to verify he was plotting something similar to the notes she found in an abandoned research colony days before. It was the only way her mission could succeed now.

But, despite her brilliance, she has shocked to hear sound of soldier boots approaching her from a door directly behind her. The sound of a gun safety clicking into unlocked position echoed just a few meters from her head, and she soon heard the voice of her captor speaking sternly. She had been caught in the act, and now she would be a prisoner of war. Or worse.

"Get away from the terminal with your hands raised."

She recognized the voice instantly, but was wise enough not to make any foolish moves. She rose obediently to her feet and raised her empty hands so they would be at even height with her head. When she turned around, she saw exactly what she expected.

Athrun stood in full pilot regalia with a look of cold intent on his face. A silver FAITH emblem adorned his breast and a single pistol was held steadily in both hands. Meer stood closely to his side, dressed in her usual attire of a rather unique white, blue, and purple dress that showed off much of her arms, hips, and legs. Her eyes were wide with anxiety because, while it was one thing for her to speak disapprovingly of the exiled leader in the privacy of Athrun's quarters, it was a completely different matter when she came face-to-face with her mirror image. Lacus currently seemed to home in on her with an angered scowl and caused her to quickly slip behind Athrun's back in surprise. As she spoke out of fear, she poked her light blue eyes over his shoulder in the same way a timid princess would seek safety behind her knight.

"Wha-... what's she doing here?"

Lacus's expression changed to one of subtle amusement before she spoke. Her tone was always stoic and disconnected, but whether this was an inherent quality or a result of all the tragedy she had seen in the past several months was anyone's guess.

"Hello, Athrun."

Athrun answered her in the same character. His aim remained on her head the entire time.

"Lacus. It's been a while."

The pink-haired politician's eyes shifted to her shivering doppelganger before returning to Athrun.

"You've chosen to point your gun at me and protect my impostor. You've changed."

He responded with a small nod.

"I woke up."

Lacus now altered her stance. Desperation sparked in her eyes, and her voice gained new energy.

"There's still so much you need to learn, Athrun. Durandal is..."

Athrun's posture, however, was left unhindered. He answered Lacus's objection so she wouldn't have to finish it.

"I know. The Destiny Plan."

She responded at first in a way that was unusual for her. An authentic gasp of astonishment escaped her mouth, and she recollected herself before proceeding further.

"How much do you know?"

"Everything. He explained it to me himself."

She blinked as she was attacked by a new way of surprise.

"Why would he... ?"

Again, Athrun was able to answer her before she could finish.

"Ever since Kira died, he's been a lot more open with me about certain things. I'm the best pilot he has, I'm training Shinn to be just as good, and he knows I'm reliable as long as I trust him."

Her colder persona returned as Athrun's words faded into her thoughts and she deduced he had lost all of his compassion. She stared squarely at the barrel of the pistol for a few seconds before she turned her head away in shame.

"Are you going to be my assassin, Athrun?"

His response was the most surprising thing she heard yet.

"Not unless you force me to."

She now spoke in a prying tone, her mind spiraling through uncertainty.

"Then what is it you plan to do?"

Athrun spoke with his determination as clear as ever.

"I'm going to wait until you turn around and walk out of this room. The moment you leave this complex, I want you to hide your face from the world and never interfere with Durandal's operations again. You've done it before, and you can do it again. If you come back, I WILL pull the trigger next time."

Lacus's head lowered as her voice did the same.

"If I disgust you so much, why won't you just do it now?"

"Two reasons."

He stopped to sigh, making a small display of grief and regret toward the words that followed.

"First, I still don't know what exactly it is that you're trying to do. You might not believe me at this point, but I haven't become some military dog who goes off shooting potential innocents."

Another pause followed, and he seemed slightly more bothered when he continued.

"And second, you and I are the only remaining members of the Archangel crew. I'd prefer not making myself the sole survivor."

Lacus almost stepped forward, but remembered she was pinned in place by the sights on Athrun's pistol. She still managed to raise her voice to offer her guidance.

"Athrun, you know I'm trying to bring justice for all people."

Athrun stood in silence for several seconds as his regrets tried to overtake him. However, his strength was restored by the feeling of one of Meer's gloved hands unconsciously seeking protection on his shoulder. It was then that he reminded himself where his mind stood.

"And Durandal is making the exact same claim."

Lacus found this observation to be an intriguing way to defend her position. She moved to her next inquiry in mildly entertained thought.

"What evidence does he have to show his goals are truly noble?"

Athrun proceeded to list what the chairman had accomplished in the previous months while his stern attitude returned in full.

"Finding where the Alliance was keeping the Destroy Gundams before any of them could be completed? Liberating one of the Extendeds and developing a way to reverse her defects? Identifying the members of LOGOS? Capturing a known war criminal while he sought refuge in Orb? And God knows how much he wouldn't have been able to do if you were still using Kira to block him at every turn."

Lacus gazed downward in reserved sadness.

"Kira gave his life on his own volition."

A look of scorn briefly appeared on Athrun's face. The direction the conversation was taking was too close for comfort. The subject matter had been hard enough for Athrun to get over even with Meer's particular therapeutic methods, and he didn't like bringing it back up.

"Yeah, a volition formed by the pep talk you gave him about why he should aimlessly jump into the battlefield in a Mobile Suit you personally had built for him."

Lacus's manner suddenly became much more anxious.

"I had Freedom Gundam repaired in case we needed to defend ourselves!"

Athrun's steel resolve wouldn't bend.

"But then you took things too far. Committing constant guerrilla attacks against people who aren't even your enemies in the first place is not self-defense."

Lacus now wanted to change the subject as well. She was hiding something. Was she just now realizing her own poor planning had ruined her pure-hearted intentions? Or had it been her bloodthirsty strategy all along? It was impossible to tell.

The next exchanges between Lacus and Athrun came one after the other. Neither side had to stop and think about what their next argument would be.

"But at the same time Gilbert has granted each of the miracles you describe, he's amassed two doomsday weapons, left Orb in cinders for the second time, and promoted a war with no end in sight. "

"If Orb had allowed to Djibril to escape, the colonies would be in cinders. Durandal can't be blamed for what that bastard built, and just because he has a Genesis doesn't mean he intends to use it to..."

Lacus introduced her next objection before she allowed Athrun to finish his last.

"And the data he used to find the Destroy Gundams and the identities of LOGOS's leaders. Isn't it convenient how all this information just wound up in his hands at the exact moments it would help his reputation the most?"

Athrun answered her question with a new source of strength in his voice. He was standing his ground in the argument, with his weapon still locked onto its target.

"Is it any more convenient than disappearing from a country for several years and then suddenly showing up with an illegal militia at the easiest time to usurp the new leadership? Your actions can be interpreted just as many ways as his, Lacus."

Lacus lowered her head and spoke in a lonely voice. Whether this was a sign of misunderstanding or an admission of guilt, no one but her could be certain.

"I see."

She then tilted her head slightly as she addressed him again.

"So, are you really not bothered by the idea that he could use the Destiny Plan as leverage to control the entire human race?"

Athrun looked mildly insulted by the question.

"Of course I'm bothered by it, but there's no evidence to say that's how he'll actually use it. Any system can be corrupted if its leaders aren't responsible."

Lacus then brought up what may have been the fundamental flaw in the chairman's design.

"But the plan strips people of their right to choose their path by its very nature. Where's the freedom in that?"

Athrun's response came swiftly and forcefully.

"The freedom comes from the fact the people will be allowed to choose whether or not they want the plan in place. Everything you're going around saying about how Gilbert's inevitably going to use Requiem and Genesis to terrorize everyone into signing on is your own delusion. Or are you trying to say nobody should be given that option in the first place?"

Lacus's eyes closed in a modest display of her wisdom.

"That's what I think is for the best. There are some choices that are too dangerous to be made."

Athrun, however, would have none of it.

"Then what you're saying is you're all for freedom just as long as it matches your personal definition of freedom. Gilbert's methods are questionable, but you're preaching pure hypocrisy. You're the one whose vision has become skewed."

Lacus's voice took on a sorrowful quality when she spoke next.

"I never said I wanted to violate my own ideals."

Athrun slowly shook his head.

"That's the part I'm still not sure of. That's what scares me about you."

Lacus paused in deep thought before offering a new question.

"Then, are you convinced Gilbert's telling the truth?"

Her rival took no time in responding.

"No, and that's why I'm staying here. I want to see where he goes with this before I make any decisions."

Lacus fired back in an ominous tone.

"What will you do if I turn out to be right, and he expects you to kill on his whim?"

The cold-faced demeanor finally left Athrun and was replaced by a small, confident smirk.

"It wouldn't be the first time I left ZAFT for disagreeing with its leadership."

Lacus thought in silence before her attention turned again to her synthetic twin.

"Will you take your false idol with you?"

The visible portion of Meer's face turned a flustered red as she remained behind Athrun. More of it became visible when she stood on the toes of her pearl-colored shoes, showing Lacus her mouth was contorted in an angry frown. She had taken enough verbal abuse, and now her displeasure outweighed her fear.

"Hey! I..."

Athrun put her worries to rest by turning his head and offering her a friendly glance.

"Don't worry, Meer. I've got this covered."

When she settled down accordingly, Athrun returned to Lacus and instantly transitioned back into being an emotional brick wall.

"She's worked harder than anyone to give people hope. She acts more like the Lacus Clyne I know than you have for the past three years."

The girl he spoke of now stepped into full view at his side, her confidence finally restored by his supportive words. She then watched Athrun and Lacus's conversation continue in content silence.

"But, to answer your question, we've already agreed that we're going to stay together no matter what happens. If half of your theories about Durandal come true, she'll have no part of it. She knows the difference between being a leader and being a slave master, and helping him do what you claim he'll do goes against everything she stands for."

Lacus considered her position for a great while before returning in a softer voice.

"I trust you, Athrun, but Gilbert has no part in the promise you're making me. What if I do as you say, and he only sends more assassins to get rid of me?"

Athrun nearly rolled his eyes as he muttered.

"That's assuming he was the one who sent the first squad."

He then regained his usual tone.

"In any case, he's practically given me access to the entire ZAFT command network. If he makes a move, I'll see it."

Lacus laughed under her breath and replied in what may have been half-sarcasm.

"I suppose loyalty has its rewards."

She entered another moment of deep thought as she carefully weighed her options and studied the couple in front of her. When she was satisfied, she closed hey eyes and curled her lips into an ambiguous shape. The expression could have been a polite smile, but perhaps it was a wicked smirk. She acknowledged both Athrun and Meer with silent nods before announcing her decision.

"Very well. I shall leave the destiny of the world in your hands."

The safety on Athrun's gun clicked back into place, and its user carefully loaded the weapon into a holster on his uniform belt. He lowered his head and quietly sighed in a mix of relief and uncertainty. Meer shifted her position so she was much closer to his side, almost to the point of leaning into him as her fingers gingerly took a hold of his closest arm. Her eyes beamed with subtle radiance as she cautiously (but curiously) watched Lacus's actions.

When Athrun raised his head again, he found Lacus closely observing them before speaking again.

"I only hope the two of you will be strong enough to stop that madman when he reveals his true face."

She turned in the direction she had came, leaving the various equipment she had brought with her abandoned at the workstation. Her only words were conveyed in an air of isolation and defeat.

"Goodbye, Athrun."

Athrun tried his best to offer an assuring smile, but found he didn't know how to part ways in such awkward context even when he struggled.

And then Lacus disappeared from both the command room and the world at large.

Meer became much more relaxed when she and Athrun were left alone in the room. She tried to do the same for his composure as she spoke in a chipper voice.

"That was a close one."

Athrun's dreary complexion slowly faded as his mind digested what had just happened. The most unpredictable variable in humanity's future had been removed and Meer's life had been secured, but at what cost was yet to be seen. Still, he couldn't stop himself from feeling joy in the moment, and a warm smile crossed his face as he turned to his charge.

"Looks like your secret's still safe."

Meer nodded playfully before she tilted her head and blinked.

"Do you really think she's gone?"

This question didn't seem to bother Athrun, as he answered with his new confident outlook intact.

"I'm not sure, but you don't need to worry about it. If she tries something, I doubt she'll have any political pull as long as I claim you're the real Lacus Clyne."

The gentle songstress closed her eyes and rested her head under his chin.

"Thanks, Athrun."

They then both shifted their heads so they could join together in a short kiss.

Hours later, Athrun reported to the chairman what had happened that day, why he had acted the way he did, and how the original Lacus would no longer be a problem in ZAFT's plans. All was well, at least for the time being.

* * *

><p><strong>ZAFT Herpaderp Military Records<strong>

**Unit no.:** ZGMF-X33S+E

**Unit name:** "Eternal Legend Gundam"

**Unit history:** This is a heavily customized variant of the ZGMF-X33S Legend Gundam. Revisions were made at the request of Commander Athrun Zala to address the original unit's shortcomings during Operation: Ragnarok. He believed while the machine excelled in ranged combat like its predecessor, the ZGMF-X13A Providence Gundam, its heavy equipment loadout hindered its melee ability compared to the ZGMF-X09A Justice and ZGMF-X23S Saviour models.

Design changes focused mainly on the Legend Gundam's Dragoon backpack. The entire binder system was redesigned as a self-contained unit that can separate and function as a sub-flight lifter. Subsequent changes were made to the original Legend Gundam's head sensors. It is now equipped with a forehead antenna that allows Commander Zala to control the "Pronoea-01" backpack while it is in drone mode. These alterations were based partially on the original schematics for the stolen ZGMF-19A Infinite Justice prototype and its Fatum-01 system (_note: still under investigation; possibly linked to missing ASH units_).

Eternal Legend Gundam's Dragoons operate identically to those on the original Legend Gundam. However, additional thrusters were added to each Dragoon to expand the Gundam's overall versatility. This results in Eternal Legend's key defining feature: the new "Voiture Eclair" propulsion system. When the all of the Dragoons are docked, they can function as a swiveling array of thrusters, allowing the Eternal Legend to move in any direction in aerial space with virtually no loss of speed. At maximum thrust, the Eternal Legend's Variable Phase Shift armor shifts into the red spectrum so more energy can be diverted to high-speed melee combat. Eternal Legend can remain in this mode for up to three minutes. At this point, the Hyper-Deuterion reactor reverts to standard operations and automatically begins to recharge the Gundam's capacitor. Several engineers have stated the Phase Shift effect causes the Eternal Legend to bear an even stronger resemblance to the Justice/Saviour lineage, but this is purely coincidental.

Final alterations focused on maximizing the Eternal Legend's options in close-range situations. Auxiliary arms were installed near the two large Dragoon ports on the backpack, as well as inside the beam saber compartments on the side of each leg. With all of its arms deployed, the Eternal Legend can fight with six beam sabers, generate six beam shields, or utilize any combination in between.

The Eternal Legend Gundam was unveiled during Lacus Clyne's live performance of "Ignited" to mixed public reaction. All doubts were put to rest when the unit was deployed in the final defense of the Messiah base. Commander Zala served as an adviser for ZAFT's flagship team led by Shinn Asuka in the ZGMF-X42S Destiny Gundam. Other units in the team included the ZGMF-X56S/γ Blast Impulse (piloted by Rey Za Burrel), the ZGMF-X23S Saviour (piloted by Lunamaria Hawke), and the repurposed ZGMF-X56S/ζ Gaia Impulse (piloted by Stella Louisser). Despite the tragic loss of Rey Za Burel and the destruction of Requiem, the mission was a success. ZAFT agreed to self-destruct the remaining Neo-Genesis cannon (a decision strongly supported by Commander Zala himself) to facilitate the enemy's conditional surrender. 40% of the Earth Sphere has adopted the Destiny Plan, while most of the other countries are in talks to sign on as part of their reconstruction efforts.

* * *

><p>author stuff:<p>

It took 3 years, but I wrote an ending to my dumb little Athrun-Meer shipping story. Now here's a peak into my creative and/or deranged thought process:

First off, I'm more of a "character arc" guy and less of a "let's just do whatever even if it makes no sense because my wife is too infatuated with her own fanfic characters" guy. You bet I'm going to go Stanley Kubrick this trainwreck.

Yes, Athrun being promoted to Commander means he can hang out with Yzak in the White Uniforms club, but he outranks Yzak when you consider his FAITH privileges. The thing is, I wasn't really trying to rewrite GSD with Athrun as the main character. You're supposed to assume the Athrun drama is going on in the background of a better version of GSD where Shinn is always the lead protagonist. I tried to convey that in the final chapter, but the epistolary format made it kind of clunky. That's what that part about Athrun being an "adviser" on the Minerva was trying to get across.

The Minerva team in the final battle is supposed to be a mirrored version of the Archangel team at the end of SEED. The final roll-call in Phase 48 of SEED was Mwu in Strike Gundam, Dearka in Buster Gundam, Cagalli in Strike Rouge, Athrun in Justice, and Kira in Freedom.

She's an Extended, they said. It doesn't make sense for her to defect to ZAFT when she'll die without her radiation treatment, they said. Hey, you want to hear something neat? ZAFT commandeered several Stella-recharging machines during the assault on Heaven's Base. Plot hole=RESOLVED. Hell, maybe they even figure out how to adjust the settings so Stella doesn't have to be emotionally hindered. Maybe she starts having a guilt trip when full self-awareness kicks in and memories of all the horrible things she's done for the EA catches up to her, but Shinn is that one positive memory who can bring her down to Earth. Maybe both characters are able to develop through their common mental brokenness.

I picture Rey in this story as a combination of Tieria and Marida, with a tiny hint of Obright toward the end (I'll get to that). He's a meta-human pilot with inside knowledge of the Destiny Plan, and he represents the last of his kind. I know there are like 3498509 other Flaga clones running around in the Astray side stories, and that's nice, but I'm going to ignore that. For dramatic purposes. There are more flashbacks that show he and Durandal both rejected Rau's crazy "HA HA HA EVERYONE MUST DIIIE" logic and believe war can be stopped if humanity is given the right guidance. He starts with the same personality as in the show, but he slowly becomes bros with Shinn and tries to make the most out of his short, telomere-deficient life. I put him in Blast Impulse because he seems to work well as a Heavy Weapons Guy. And Blast Impulse just needed more screen time.

The anti-Durandal forces in this version are composed of Orb remnants in an alliance of convenience with EA remnants. They might be backed by Lacus/Terminal. It's mysterious~.

Cagalli is there in-person in the Akatsuki. The Akatsuki is still a flimsy plot device left over by Uzumi like in the show, but this version always uses the Oowashi backpack by default. I like that design more and at least it makes slightly more sense than the Shiranui backpack. Deal with it.

Sting and Auel are there too. They're still fighting for the EA remnants. Like I said, I wasn't really digging GSD's approach of "Let's abruptly kill off half of the new cast when we're barely halfway through the show just so we can make more room for the old fanwank characters." Both would get upgrades to their Gundams by the time they join the attack on Messiah. "Astral Abyss" sounds like a cool mission-specific upgrade for Auel, but I'm not sure what Chaos Gundam would get. The only thing I can think of is calling it "Perfect Chaos" and giving it the ability to blast "Open Your Heart" by Crush 40 over its giant mech-sized speakers. Yeah, I don't think that's going to be practical.

Oh, and the Archangel is there. Screw it. You can either assume Athrun only thought they were killed and they did their submarine-dodging thing like in the show, or just pretend he never said that line while he was talking to Lacus. I'm seriously considering going back and cutting it out entirely. I kind of wrote myself into a corner by getting rid of them too quickly and making the story one-sided all over again, just in ZAFT's favor instead of Orb's.

Andy is piloting a tricked out Murasame in space. Or maybe an Astray Orange Frame. Or whatever.

But Mwu is dead in this universe. D-E-A-D dead. Neo Roanoke was never a thing because Mwu never existed in this version of Destiny. I still defend his sacrifice in SEED as one of the most genuinely emotional moments of the entire franchise, and I'm not going to let shitty fan-pandering and an annoying "Waaah, everyone on the Archangel needs to go home happy" mindset ruin it for me. Fukuda can go save the whales.

The big final space battle starts out relatively the same way as in the show. The major difference is Djibril is killed in Orb instead of on Requiem, and Orb is basically steamrolled during the invasion since Kira's dead, and Athrun cares more about protecting the world from people he KNOWS are genocidal fugitives rather than the ones Lacus THINKS are genocidal fugitives. Durandal takes over Requiem before the EA has a chance to fire at PLANT, but the fact that it simply exists is enough to justify his own unveiling of Neo-Genesis, so now he has two space lasers. Orb's remaining military is already preparing to take him down before the Destiny Plan is officially revealed, and they're blasting off into space the moment he announces it. The show's writers wanted you to believe Durandal was the ultra-aggressive main villain despite the fact Djibril was the first one with a space laser and Durandal was always acting in retaliation. The show's official ending never made any sense, and that is why I'm handling things a tad differently.

The initial fighting starts at Requiem. ZAFT's first line of defense eventually falls to the ragtag crew of Cagalli, the cyberpunks, and the rest of their buddies. Then they start chopping Requiem apart. To clarify: The team predominantly made of EA soldiers end up destroying the giant space laser built by their own faction. Hang on to that little piece of irony, it'll be important later.

Once Requiem falls, Team Minerva receives a warning to get to the fuck away because Durandal is going to fire Neo-Genesis on the clustered Archangel/Orb/EA combatants. Rey covers their retreat, leading to a badass scene where he takes the EA Extendeds 2-on-1. He kills both, but he's mortally wounded in the process and doesn't have time to get out of the way. There's a little monologue of him saying something like "It looks like I'm going out just like you, Rau, but we'll still prove you wrong." He puts all of his trust in Shinn and the gang. And so Rau I mean Rey dies heroically when Providence I mean Blast Impulse is caught in the firing range of Genesis I mean Neo-Genesis. A chunk of the EA fleet is also destroyed, but the all of main Archangel/Orb characters survive as usual.

ZAFT's main forces start pouring out of the Messiah and steadily push back the Archangel/EA. Athrun butts heads with Cagalli just outside the base, but he tells Shinn and Stella to back off for a second. He patches her through to Durandal, who immediately jumps on the topic of Orb's surrender negotiations. Cagalli gets bitter and accuses him of being a war criminal trying to force the Destiny Plan on the world. He counters by saying she's doing the same thing by trying to tell everyone Orb's idea of free will is their only choice. She accuses him of fostering a fake Lacus (to spread a message of peace). He accuses her of fostering the guy responsible for building the Destroy Gundams and Requiem (to slaughter all Coordinators). Neither can make a solid comeback because the situation is complete chaos and they both have their own points. Then he says something that leaves her absolutely flabbergasted: He doesn't actually give a shit what her piss ant country thinks of him or his Destiny Plan; he just wants them to militarily stay out of his face so he can concentrate on talking to the world's grown-ups without hearing BLAH BLAH BLAH ORB'S IDEALS WAH WAH WAH MANIPULATIVE BASTARD every five seconds. His demands are Orb and its allies must immediately cease all hostilities. Orb will also have to secede one of its outlying islands so it can be used as a permanent ZAFT base. I would put something involving the phrase "military occupation" in there, but I'm trying to avoid the shoehorned WWII analogies the show uses (horrendously). Durandal vows to withhold firing on Orb's mainland for the next 15 minutes. Cagalli must choose between complying peacefully, or complying via death laser. Klaatu barada nikto and so on. Narakuhair, out.

And then Cagalli legitimately has no idea what to do. The one dude she's hated with all of her guts for the past 50ish episodes just gave her a window to save what's left of Orb and end the fighting right now. On the other hand, she'll have to abandon Orb's principles of total neutrality (this entire plot point is completely flawed and neither SEED nor Destiny has ever executed it correctly, but whatever) if she agrees to Durandal's terms. She hangs her head, sheds a single (actually meaningful) tear, and whispers "What would you do, father?"

In the meantime, the Minerva and the Archangel have an actual dogfight where (god forbid) neither side has a ridiculously overpowered advantage. They do their little parallel spinny thing and mutually trash each other's engines, causing both to crash on the moon. Both crews survive but are effectively out of the picture. Maybe Talia goes over to Murrue to have a cup of coffee and tell her some touching stories about her son on Earth, instead of just randomly mentioning the son and then committing suicide five minutes later. Lunamaria notices the Minerva is now a SIGNAL LOST blip and goes to help Meyrin evacuate. The GSD show had Meyrin with her awful "Don't shoot me! This is the real Lacus!" line when Lunamaria was about to destroy the Eternal, so I might as well invert that whole scene while I'm at it.

Destiny, Gaia Impulse, and Fanfic Legend are busy dealing with EA/Orb grunts. Gaia Impulse's battery starts to run low, so Athrun lets Stella borrow his lifter so she can get back to the base. Shinn is the only one still able to go at full power.

And then Kira shows up with Strike Freedom, because why the fuck not. Shinn gets angry. Athrun is just like "Wait, what?" and is basically catatonic the entire time. The "Saikisen" track from the SEED OST starts playing. Shinn tries to do the Shining Finger thing, but Kira kicks him away. Kira deploys his Dragoons and starts running his beamspam targeting system. Shinn instantly recognizes his pattern from the Dardanelles and Crete. He says something along the lines of "Not this time, you little shit" and strafes around him. Kira hears bleepy bloopy noises and gets an error message. His system is trying to read Destiny's afterimages as separate targets. Destiny is up in Strike Freedom's face again. Shinn tries to use his sword, but Kira does his stupid gimmick where he catches the metal part with his nimble gold hands. Kira chops off one of Shinn's arms. Strike Freedom and Destiny point their hip cannons at each other at point blank range and they end up blowing up each other's equipment. Shinn uses one of his boomerangs as a beam saber and Kira instinctively tries to catch it again. It doesn't work. Both of Strike Freedom's arms get blown up (oh how the tables have turned). Kira backpedals a little bit and just starts going Dragoon crazy. Shinn tracks them with his last palm cannon when he (gasp) remembers it's supposed to be a ranged weapon. He misses a bunch of shots, but ends up shooting down like 4 of them. The rest of the Dragoons converge on Destiny all at once and shoot lasers through its head and limbs. While Destiny is getting hit by slow motion lasers, Kira fires his torso cannon directly at Shinn. This is the first time since SEED that he's been forced to fight under actual stress. Shinn has just enough time (before all his limbs explode) to point his palm cannon back at Kira. The two lasers hit each other and ricochet back into Strike Freedom's torso. Strike Freedom's reactor starts going critical. Kira becomes Symbolic-Athrun and ejects in his Normal Suit just before his Gundam explodes. Real-Athrun catches Kira and shields him with Legend's hands so he doesn't become Nuclear Man. Strike Freedom gets vaporized, while Destiny floats around quasi-destroyed with no weapons left (like Legend at the end of the TV series). Both pilots survive.

The 15 minutes are up, and the Archangel SOS and Kira POW situations are too much for Cagalli. She gets back on the line with Durandal and tells him she's about to let him win. She'll even let him have his nice little base in the tropics. But she has a single condition of her own: Dismantle Neo-Genesis. She tells him that she finally understands "No, Princess. Power is necessary because there will always be conflict" (dun dun DUNNNNNNNN), but says the way he has escalated his power is just creating more conflict. Durandal basically goes into his final speech from the show, arguing that it's for self-defense and to guarantee no one will dare to start another war. Cagalli asks him how does he think anyone will forget about war when they'll see his death weapon every time they look in the sky. Durandal ponders for a moment, then says something.

Messiah's Neo-Genesis components explode and fall to the moon. All of the ZAFT characters are completely stunned and have no idea what's going on. Shinn starts freaking out because Stella is supposed to be on the Messiah. For those first few Abicion-trolling seconds, it looks like nothing has changed and GSD Phase 50 is happening all over again. But then the Orb ships start firing off surrender flares. Durandal gets on a public broadcast to announce the peace treaty. The ending music is a Meer version of "Fields of Hope." It starts out deceptively similar to the Lacus version, but goes into more of an 80s soft rock vibe during the chorus.

40% is a reference to the Gundam 00 movie. Check 'em.

If you still really want to cling to the pro-Kira interpretation of events that says Durandal faked the Bigfoot footage and caused the 1908 Tunguska explosion so he could kill Paul McCartney, sure, knock yourself out. Just tell yourself he was playing Cagalli all along and he agreed with her only so he could score a swift victory while making himself look even more benevolent.

I hope you enjoyed my Gundams.


End file.
